


Rewind and Love Again

by Skelitzel



Series: Rewind [6]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Branching off of Pacifist ending, More Tags Later?, Story could go a lot of ways, sans no longer remembers old timelines, sequel to rewind and replay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5715829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skelitzel/pseuds/Skelitzel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story is a sequel to Rewind and Replay, occurring directly after the Pacifist Ending.  The human and sans have made it to Snowdin, only...sans confesses that he feels he has an advantage over Papyrus with their shared memories. He knows that the human did truly love Papyrus in the timelines they shared together. He also confesses he doesn't deserve the human after having to kill them so many times, and for not being able to overcome his selfishness when the human chose another. He wipes his memories and sends the human backward through time to start over.</p><p>This story could really go a lot of ways :)</p><p>Depending on interest, I may even write other pairings besides the skelebros. I also kind of want to write something involving AU's? Let's see how ambitious I turn out to be XD</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reset

You smile widely when you finally see the sign that welcomes you to Snowdin. “Come on, sans” you exclaim and tug on your joined hands. 

But the small skeleton doesn’t budge.

His eye sockets are hollow as he gazes down at the ground.

“hey…kid?”

You turn to meet his sad smile, and worry flutters in your heart. “What is it, sans?”

He sighed and asked, “d-do you really remember all the timelines?”

You flinch slightly, feeling certain he’s referring to all the genocide runs. His eye sockets watch you sadly. You can’t lie to him.

Swallowing the lump in your throat and glancing away, you whisper, “Yes…I remember them all.” You pinch your arm and chew the inside of your cheek nervously, “Do you hate me?”

His shaky sigh conveys that that answer was what he expected. “no, i could never hate you.” He rests a bony finger onto your lips before you can protest, “kid, there’s no point in dwelling in the past. i know chara influenced you, and in some timelines you didn’t fight back as hard as others, but-“ he smiled slightly, “i forgive you.” The cold tip of his bony finger leaves your lips as he leans back and returns his hands to his pockets. “and to talus you the truth…your blood is on my hands just as much as my dust is on yours.”

You wince at his words, but don’t turn away. You must face your sins.

He tilts his head to the side and his grin widens, “that being said if you do anything to hurt anyone here, i’ll make sure you have a bad time.” His left eye socket glows bright, “and i’ll make damn sure you don’t come back.” He laughs as you widen your eyes in fear, “relax, kid. i didn’t mean tibia so sin-ister.”

Sucking your cheeks into a pout, you mumble, “That wasn’t funny.”

“sorry.” he’s still laughing as he scratches the back of his skull sheepishly. After a moment he pauses. “i gotta ask this before i lose my nerve…”

His confidence seems bolstered by your chuckle as he asks, “do you remember the timelines with my brother?”

A blush spreads across your face as you turn away from him. “Yes.” you answer hesitantly.

He nods to himself, eye sockets going dark. “did you love him?”

“Yes…” your words are barely a whisper.

He chuckles again, surprising you when he looks so relieved “i’m glad. papyrus always seemed so happy when he was with you.”

“sans I-“ You stop when he waves his hand to shush you again.

“i gotta confess something, kiddo.” He gazed down at his hand as it clenched into a fist. “tibia honest, i don’t feel like i deserve this happiness.” Sorrowful eye sockets locked onto your gaze as he continued, “i…i killed you, so many times and…” his voice cracked and he shook his head.

“But those were different timelines and you didn’t know! Chara tricked-“ 

He cuts you off again, “even so, i killed you. and i…attacked you in the restaurant when you were trying to help me.” He grit his teeth, “i was so jealous and i couldn’t see that until i hurt you.”

“sans-“

He continued on as if he hadn’t heard you speak, “i’m not telling a fibula when i say i love you-“ his sad smile faltered on his face as you felt the atmosphere press down on your body, restricting your movements “but i don’t want an unfair advantage over pap.”

Your eyes widened as you started to realize what he meant.

“it isn’t fair that i can keep all the memories we share, while he has to forget them each and every time.” he whispered as he walked closer to you.

“sans-“ you say again with tears in your eyes, but he doesn’t hear you.

“the memories we share…the first time i fell in love with you…those were some of the best days of my life.”

“sans i love you too.” you sob.

He smiles gently as he strokes your face, a tear trickling down his face, “but, those times i lost you…when i failed to overcome my selfishness and jealousy…” He clutched the fabric that covered his sternum, “sometimes it hurt too much for me to bear and i-“ his voice broke and he inhaled a shaky gasp, “i can’t handle losing you again, knowing that we had once shared a pure love. i’m just not strong enough for that.”

Your eyes widened as his hand slowly drifted up to your forehead. “Wait, sans!”

His magic holds you tighter as you try to wriggle free, “don’t misunderstand. i’m not giving up on you. i just want papyrus to have a chance at the happiness you’ve given me.” More tears fall from his eye sockets as he laughs quietly, “it makes me so happy that you loved my brother too.”

Your voice cracks and you find you’re unable to speak as his thumb traces circles over your forehead.

“i just…don’t want to remember you, if you decide to choose someone else.”

A weak cry broke free from the lump in your throat.

“i don’t want you to feel guilty either, if you want to be with someone else.”

He wipes a stray tear away from your cheek before resting his hand on your forehead again.

“if…you want to be with me…let me relive those memories.” His laughter caught in his throat as he muttered, “and if we don’t fall in love again…please don’t tell the other sanses what we had once shared.”

His face is blurry now, and you try your best to blink back tears. He places his free hand on his own forehead and smirks, “y’know, your little magic borrowing trick isn’t that hard to use.”

“W-wait!”

“relax, kid. it won’t be a full reset. i’m just sending you back a little bit…”

The world started to fade away.

“…and erasing my memories of all the timelines…”

“see ya in a little while, buddy.”


	2. Remember Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie! I was not expecting to be showered in kudos when I posted this and the other sequel! Thank you so much!! Ah! :D I am so excited that so many were looking forward to this! I am going to try my best to upload them together, but that may mean my uploads will take a bit longer.
> 
> Thank you so much for the comments too it really means a lot! And apologies for being lazy and reusing this note in both stories XD

“Wow, back already? That must be a record.” A small voice taunts from somewhere in front of you.

You find yourself lying face down in a bed of yellow flowers. Dazed and confused, you lift your head up slowly to look at who is talking to you.

The yellow flower sneers, “What’d you screw up this time?”

You sputter as you spit dirt from your mouth, “F-flowey?”

The flower rolled its eyes, “Yes, idiot. I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower. We’ve been over this hundreds of times. I thought you remembered.”

Sitting up, you rub your temple as a headache pulses in your brain. “I-I do it’s just…everything is all hazy.”

The flower snickered again and said, “Oh, what a shame. Perhaps I can help?” White bullets appeared in a wide circle all around you, “Maybe you need to die to reset properly?” He asked with a sinister sneer as the bullets started closing in.

“N-no wait!” you say with panic raising the pitch in your voice. He just laughs at your terror as the bullets swirl closer and closer to your body. You squeeze your eyes shut and feel a sudden wave of warmth and here a startled squeak.

“What an awful creature.” A gentle and familiar voice says. “Are you alright, my child?” 

You open your eyes and gasp in surprise. It’s Toriel.

Relief bubbles up and spills out in laughter as you stand to embrace her. Just as you outstretch your arms to hold her, however, a sudden weight of loss hits you solidly in the chest, causing your knees to buckle.

What was that?

“My child!” Toriel exclaims as she moves forward to catch you. “Are you alright?” she asks again, her eyebrows furrowed with concern.

“N-no!” you sob and bury your face into her embrace as your body shakes with grief.

“What happened?” She whispered gently as she used one hand to stroke your hair, and the other to stroke your back.

“I-I d-d-don’t know!” you wail and cling tighter to her robe.

“It’s ok, my child. You’re safe now.”

“M-mom?” you say through a sniffle, and she stiffens slightly.

“You wish to call me mom?” she whispered. She laughs gently as you nod into her embrace. “Alright, you may call me mom if you like.”

“Can we go home?” you whisper quietly as your breathing starts to settle.

“Yes, we can go home.” she says gently as she untangles you from her waist and leads you through the ruins.

She casts worried glances at you now and then as you two traverse through the corridors together, but you make it to her home easily enough. She guides you to your room and suggests that you lie down to recover from the stressful events that caused you to cry. She had asked you what was wrong, but you didn’t have an answer to give her. She just smiled sweetly and assured you that a rest and some pie would lift your spirits.

You enter the room and glance around, smiling at the little trinkets and items that spark your memory. A glimmer a silver catches your eye, and curiosity pulls you to it. You pick up the small object and turn it over in your hands.

It’s a joy buzzer.

You almost collapse again as your legs give out, but manage to catch yourself by leaning heavily on the dresser.

sans.

I had surprised him with this.

sans…

Oh my god!

sans stole my ability to reset and he…

He erased his memory and sent me backward through the timeline.

You set the joy buzzer down, barely hearing the dull clank against the wood. “I have to find him.” you whisper quietly and glance at the bedroom door. “I don’t have time to explain to Toriel. I have to see him now.”

You find a scrap of paper and a broken crayon and quickly jot down a note to Toriel, explaining your sudden disappearance and promising to visit her again very soon. Your heart aches as you sneak out of the bedroom, pausing at the entrance to the living room and hear her humming happily as she bakes. You pad down the stairs, and break out into a sprint once you reach the corridor. Tears in your eyes you whisper an apology for not saying a proper goodbye.

You heave the doors open with all your might and collapse into the snow, but waste no time rising again and dashing down the path. Your eyes search the trees as you try to catch a glimpse of the small skeleton, but your vision is blurred as tears drip down your cheeks. You try to scrub them away just as you reach the bridge. You gasp as your legs are stopped so suddenly and you almost fall on your face. Heavy footsteps crunch the snow behind you, the owner approaching you slowly.

Your throat burns from running and your heart is pounding in your ears as the footsteps come closer still, pausing just behind you.

“human, don’t you know how to greet a new pal?” You swallow the lump in your throat as you feel the binds of magic release your legs. “turn around and-“

“sans!” you exclaim, spinning on the ball of your foot and throwing your arms out to him, wanting to hold him close.

As the tears in your eyes begin to clear, your eyes meet with a very startled skeleton. Sweat drips from his skull and the orbs in his eye sockets glow brightly with surprise. He holds both your wrists in each of his skeletal hands, a gentle but firm grip.

“uh, i dunno what it’s like on the surface, but-“ he chuckles nervously as he gently lowers your arms and releases them once they’re returned to your sides, “-down here we usually shake hands to introduce ourselves.” He chuckles again as he shoves his hands in his pockets, searching your eyes.

Tears begin to well up again and he tilts his head to the side, his eye sockets flashing with concern. “are you ok?”

“Y-you don’t know who I am, do you?”

He smiled softly, “well, you’re a human, but you don’t have to be afraid.” he shrugged, “i’m supposed to patrol and capture humans but i-“

“No. That’s not what I meant.” You wipe your eyes and point at your face. “Do you remember me, sans?”

The lights in his eye sockets flicker between your eyes as he searches your face. “nah, i mean tibia honest it’s a little weird you know my name, but-“ he shrugs dismissively, “-i’m pretty sure i’d remember if i had met a human before.”

“Oh.” you whisper quietly, mostly to yourself and tears begin to blur your vision again.

“hey, buddy, are you ok?” you dimly hear sans ask as you sink to your knees, hugging your arms around your torso as you begin to weep.

He really doesn’t remember anything.

He doesn’t remember me.


	3. Starting Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness gracious! I was not expecting to be showered with so much love and support! *puts up umbrella over laptop* Ok now I am ready :) Thank you all so so much! I woke up this morning and just planned on being lazy till work, but your excitement motivated me to write!
> 
> Can't wait to see what you guys think!

“SANS WHERE ARE YOU? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO RECALIBRATE YOUR PUZZLES!” Papyrus exclaims as he runs toward his brother. “WHO IS THAT?” he asks curiously when he reaches sans, a small creature hunched over in the snow at his feet.

“uh…i don’t know their name, but-“

“OH MY GOD IT’S A HUMAN! SANS?! HAVE YOU CAPTURED A HUMAN?” He claps his hands excitedly and leans down over you, “HELLO, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU HUMAN!” You glance at him through the corner of your eye and he sucks in a breath, “WAIT…SANS WHAT DID YOU DO?” He asked accusingly to his brother.

“i didn’t do anything.” sans muttered, turning away.

“THEN WHY IS THE HUMAN CRYING?” he persisted.

“i dunno. i just snapped a twig and spooked them a little.” he sighed, “i didn’t think that’d upset them so much.” sans glanced down at you and smiled sheepishly, “sorry if i scared ya, kid.”

You just shake your head sadly as new tears start to fall.

“SANS THEY’RE CRYING EVEN MORE NOW! TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.” Papyrus said as he waved his arms frantically.

sans just scratched the back of his skull and chuckled nervously, “i dunno. i came up to introduce myself and uh-“ He froze for a moment, his eye sockets widening. “did i hurt you, kid?” He dropped to his knees in front of you, cupping your chin and looking at your eyes, “i-i’m sorry i don’t know human customs.” Tentatively, he reached forward and wrapped his arms around you in an awkward embrace, his hands just barely reaching around your back and resting lightly on your shoulder blades. “um, i didn’t mean to offend you.” He lightly patted on your back and released you. “heh, see? it’s ok. we’re friendly-“

He stopped as a sob broke through your throat. The hug was so…unfeeling and cold. He only made the gesture because he thought he was supposed to.

“SANS WHAT WAS THAT?!” Papyrus exclaimed.

“i-i don’t know!” sans said with his hands in front of him. “they tried to hug me, i thought that would make it better.”

“UGH JUST LET THE GREAT PAPYRUS DO IT. I GIVE THE BEST HUGS!” He announced as he scooped you up from behind and squeezed you in a huge bearhug.

You squeak in surprise as you’re lifted from the ground with your arms pinned at your sides.

“pap i think you’re hurting them. you made them scream.” sans said with a worried glance.

“OH GOSH I’M SORRY!” He said as he set you down with a gentle pat on your head.

“at least i didn’t make them scream.” sans muttered under his breath.

“YES BUT YOU MADE THEM CRY!” Papyrus countered.

You scrubbed the tears away as you watched the two brothers bicker back and forth, a laugh escaping your lips. Both of them turned to you with relieved smiles.

“DO NOT MIND MY BROTHER, HE’S A BIT OF A BONEHEAD.” Papyrus said comfortingly.

sans just shrugged with a lazy grin, “maybe the cold is getting to me, i’m such a numb-skull.”

You giggled again and scrubbed at your eyes once more. “It’s nice to meet you two.” you say quietly, your voice shaking slightly.

“HUMAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY SOME PUZZLES WITH ME? I THINK THEY MIGHT CHEER YOU UP.” Papyrus asked excitedly.

“Sure, that sounds like it’d be fun!” You cringe inside, but manage to keep your voice light. So, we really are starting over, aren’t we? You glance between the brothers. Neither of them know you.

“EXCELLENT! LET US BE OFF!” Papyrus says as he grabs your hand, pulling you away to the puzzles. You glance back and see sans waving goodbye before he disappears.

Throughout the puzzles, you try to not lead on to the fact that you know the solutions and have solved them countless times. You wait until he explains each puzzle, and even ask him to repeat the rules. He eagerly helps you understand the very complicated switch puzzle that he had tried to rearrange to look like his face.

Your smile feels more genuine as the Gauntlet of Deadly Terror is dismissed and Papyrus announces that he does not wish to capture you with such a direct method before running off to the town. sans watches you as you cross the rest of the bridge, and waits until you stop in front of him.

“hey, kid, thanks for being so nice to my brother.” he says with a wink, “he’s having a lot of fun.”

“I am too!” you say sincerely, smiling at the small skeleton.

His own smile softens as he says quietly, “i’m sorry if i hurt your feelings before,” He shifted in the snow uncomfortably, “i’m not really much of a hugger-“

“Do you want to go to Grillby’s?” you blurt out, interrupting him. His glowing eyes flicker in and out, mimicking rapid blinking.

“uh sure, kid.” he mutters as he collects himself, his easy smile returning to his face. “follow me, i know a shortcut.”

You hum to yourself as you enter Grillby’s, accepting that he doesn’t remember you right now, but you’ll do everything you can to make him remember you again.

He quickly removes the hidden whoopee cushion from the seat with a nervous grin before pulling out the chair for you. He seemed to be afraid that his pranks would make you cry again. He shifts in his chair anxiously and drums his fingertips on the counter.

“so,” he says quietly, “who are you?”

“Just a human that fell down a hole.” you say simply and order a burger.

He rests his mandible in his left hand and glances at you through the side of his left eye socket. “at least that’s not a fibula, but i feel like there’s more to you than meets the eye socket.” He whispers coyly.

You just shrug and munch on the food.

The tips of fingertips click against his teeth lightly as he watches you with a curious gaze. “how’d you know my name, buddy?”

You smile slightly and take another bite, chewing slowly as you think of how to respond. Oh, we used to date. No that’s weird. I used to date your brother. No that’s even weirder. We were in love. You shake your head furiously as a blush spread across your cheeks.

“L-lucky guess?” you stutter, but you can see he is unconvinced as his eye sockets narrow.

“sans isn’t really a common name.” he says suspiciously.

“True,” you nod and set the burger down, wiping your hands with a napkin before turning to face him. Leaning close into his face, your voice takes on a flirty lilt as you whisper, “but you’re not just some common skeleton, either.”

You hop off the stool with a wink as blue spreads across his cheekbones, giggling slightly as you saunter out of the diner.


	4. Today I Met A Human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so, this chap is basically just the last chapter and a half from sans' POV. I didn't really plan to post this but Treeni requested it and it ended up really cute and silly XD.
> 
> That being said, if anyone has a request for any of my chapters (from any story) from an alternate perspective or something like that let me know! I'm happy to explore each story more if you like. :) You can comment and tell me the chapter or email me if there's something you're curious about, and I'll write them when I have time!
> 
> skelegirl.fanfic@gmail.com
> 
> I am also up for doing non-Rewind universe related commissions :)

You suck in a breath, the air whistling through your teeth, as you watch the massive ruined door open. You could’ve sworn that after all these years it was stuck where it stood, but it swung open with only a little effort. You duck under some branches and sneak through the shadows to get a closer look at the creature that emerges.

Is that…a human?

With your rib cage thrumming, you follow them as they continue on down the path. It really is a human. You exhale a shaky breath as they seem a little flustered with your pranks. At least they don’t seem aggressive.

Well, I should probably introduce myself.

Nervousness vibrates through your bones as you gently stop them with your magic, breathing slowly to calm your thrumming rib cage. This’ll be easy. Your job did involve patrolling for, and potentially talking to, humans.

‘Course, you never actually expected to work. It’d been a while since a human had fallen into the Underground.

You take your time walking up to them, pausing just behind them and whisper, “human, don’t you know how to greet a new pal?” Yeah, that’s good. Their mind could be filled of images and lies of horrible monsters that’ll eat them. Nice and friendly. You release their legs slowly as you say, “turn around and-“

“sans!” The human exclaims, turning around quickly and lunging at you.

Holy shit!

Panic pounds in your skull as you raise your hands to defend yourself from the attack. Thinking quickly, you manage to catch their wrists and hold their arms up in the air. Your rib cage thrums wildly as you gaze at the human’s face.

Their eyes flash with a pained expression.

Your gaze flickers to your hands that grip their wrists. Their hands were relaxed and their arms were widespread. Almost as if they were trying to…hug you?

Oh.

“uh, i dunno what it’s like on the surface, but-“ you chuckle nervously as you carefully lower their arms to their sides, not wanting to hurt them, “-down here we usually shake hands to introduce ourselves.” You laugh again, hoping that settles any misunderstanding as relief blossoms within your bones.

You smile softly and search their eyes, trying to convey that you mean them no harm.

Tears begin to well up in their eyes and your sockets widen in concern, “are you ok?”

“Y-you don’t know who I am, do you?” the human stuttered.

You smile again, “well, you’re a human, but you don’t have to be afraid.” You shrug dismissively, “i’m supposed to patrol and capture humans but i-“

“No.” That’s not what I meant.” The human’s firm tone surprises you and you glance at them again. They scrub the tears from their eyes and point at their face, “Do you remember me, sans?”

You flicker your gaze over them again, searching for any familiarity. “nah, i mean tibia honest it’s a little weird you know my name, but-“ you shrug again, “-i’m pretty sure i’d remember if i had met a human before.”

“Oh.” the human says in a whisper barely loud enough for you to hear. Their shoulders begin to shake and they sink to their knees in the snow.

“hey, buddy, are you ok?” you ask with concern as they hug their arms around themselves. Hm, hugging again. Maybe it’s more than just a simple gesture? Maybe it’s a vital need humans have to fulfill to survive? Are they dying?

You open your mouth to speak again when you hear Papyrus shout across the clearing.

“SANS WHERE ARE YOU? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO RECALIBRATE YOUR PUZZLES!” He exclaimed as he bounded up to you, pausing just behind the human. “WHO IS THAT?” he tilts his head to the side with a curious gleam in his eye sockets.

“uh…i don’t know their name, but-“

“OH MY GOD IT’S A HUMAN! SANS? HAVE YOU CAPTURED A HUMAN?” He claps his hands loudly and carries on before you can respond, leaning over the human to talk to them directly. “HELLO, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU HUMAN!” He stops abruptly and sucks in a breath, casting accusing eye sockets toward you. “WAIT…SANS WHAT DID YOU DO?”

“i didn’t do anything.” you mutter defensively and turn away slightly, not wanting to meet his gaze.

“THEN WHY IS THE HUMAN CRYING?” he persists.

“i dunno. i just snapped a twig and spooked them a little.” You sigh and sink further into the fluff of your hood. “i didn’t think that’d upset them so much.” You glance down at the human and smile sheepishly, “sorry if i scared ya, kid.”

The human just shakes their head and begins to cry again.

“SANS THEY’RE CRYING EVEN MORE NOW! TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.” Papyrus said as he waved his arms around, unsure of how to comfort them.

You scratch the back of your skull and chuckle nervously. You feel bad. Really bad. “i dunno. i came up to introduce myself and-“You freeze as realization hits you. The human had seemed fine up until that moment. It was the hug, wasn’t it? With wide eye sockets you glance down at the human, “did i hurt you, kid?” You clench a bony fist in your pocket. You were sure you hadn’t gripped their wrists too hard, but…were hugs really that important to humans? Maybe you can fix this. You drop to your knees in front of them and slowly reached out to them. You cup their chin lightly and looked at their sad eyes, “i-i’m sorry i don’t know human customs.” you apologize, feeling embarrassed. You only gave them a small hug, still worried that they might be frightened. “um, i didn’t mean to offend you.” Lightly patting them on the back for a moment before releasing them you laugh slightly, “heh, see? it’s ok. we’re friendly-“

Your words die in your nonexistent throat as another sob broke through theirs.

“SANS WHAT WAS THAT?!” Papyrus exclaimed with a frustrated glare.

“i-i don’t know!” you say frantically and put your hands in front of yourself, trying to calm the human. “they tried to hug me, i thought that would make it better.”

Papyrus huffed and shook his head, “UGH JUST LET THE GREAT PAPYRUS DO IT. I GIVE THE BEST HUGS!” He scoops the human up from behind, lifting them high off the ground in a bearhug.

The human screams and panic thrums full force within your rib cage. If they weren’t freaking out and afraid of monsters before, they definitely would be now.

Jumping to your feet you frantically say, “pap i think you’re hurting them. you made them scream.” You cast a worried glance at the human. Their eyes were wide but at least they looked more startled and less in pain.

“OH GOSH I’M SORRY!” Papyrus says and sets them down quickly, gently patting them on the head.

“at least i didn’t make them scream.” you grumble and return your hands to your pockets.

“YES BUT YOU MADE THEM CRY!” Papyrus countered.

“well you freaked them out, picking them up outta nowhere!”

“YES BUT YOU STILL MADE THEM CRY!” Papyrus says again.

You grit your teeth. He’s right, you did. And you felt like shit for it.

You weren’t expecting to hear them giggle.

Papyrus turns to them and waves his hand disapprovingly in your direction. “DO NOT MIND MY BROTHER, HE’S A BIT OF A BONEHEAD.”

The human was smiling now and you returned it with a lazy grin, “maybe the cold is getting to me, i’m such a numb-skull.”

The human giggled again and your smile widened at the sound. They have such a nice laugh.

“It’s nice to meet you two.” They say quietly, their voice shaking slightly. Must still be a little nervous.

“HUMAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY SOME PUZZLES WITH ME? I THINK THEY MIGHT CHEER YOU UP.” Papyrus asked excitedly.

“Sure, that sounds like it’d be fun!” Their excitement doesn’t seem to meet their eyes.

“EXCELLENT! LET US BE OFF!” Papyrus grabs their hand and pulls them away and you wave goodbye as you take a shortcut to meet them at the end of the puzzles.

They seem to have cheered up quite a bit more after spending time with Pap. They smile when they see you at the end of the Gauntlet of Deadly Terror and walk across the bridge, stopping just before you.

“hey, kid, thanks for being so nice to my brother.” you say with a wink, “he’s having a lot of fun.”

“I am too!” You smile at their sincere tone.

It softens slightly as the events from earlier resurface in your mind. You mumble quietly, “i’m sorry if i hurt your feelings before,” You shift from foot to foot in the snow, not quite meeting their eyes, “i’m not really much of a hugger-“

“Do you want to go to Grillby’s?” The human says abruptly, interrupting you.

You turn your gaze to them, feeling confused as you try to figure out when you had mentioned Grillby’s in conversation. You hadn’t. Maybe Papyrus did? Nah, it’s too much grease, he wouldn’t have recommended it. “uh sure, kid.” You mutter as you dismiss the thought, and smile at them again. “follow me, i know a shortcut.”

They…take the sensation of teleporting surprisingly well. You watch them as they hum to themselves as you enter Grillby’s curiously. When you reach the counter, you quickly remove the hidden whoopee cushion with a frantic glance at them. You didn’t know what had caused them to cry before, but maybe it’d be best to avoid pranks for now.

As they settle in their seat, you shift nervously and drum your fingers on the counter. They knew your name. And they knew about Grillby’s. But you distinctly remember that you hadn’t mentioned either first.

“so,” you whisper, “who are you?”

“Just a human that fell down a hole.” they say simply and order a burger.

You rest your mandible in your hand and glance at them through the side of your eye socket, smiling slightly. Kid’s pretty clever. “at least that’s not a fibula, but i feel like there’s more to you than meets the eye socket.” You whisper quietly.

They just shrug and take another bite of their food.

You click the tips of your phalanges against your teeth as you watch them. You couldn’t sense any negative intent in their soul, but not being able to figure this out really bothered you.

“how’d you know my name, buddy?” you ask gently.

They seem to mull over the question for a moment, chewing thoughtfully. A few thoughts seem to flicker within their mind and their cheeks start to redden. They shake their head furiously and you furrow your brow bones in confusion.

“L-lucky guess?” they stutter and hesitantly meet your gaze.

Your eye sockets narrow, not satisfied with that answer. “sans isn’t really a common name.” You say, suspicion rising in your rib cage.

“True,” they nod with a small smirk and set the burger down, wiping their hands with a napkin before turning to face you fully. Leaning in close to your face, eyes half lidded and a strange lilt added to their voice they whisper, “but you’re not just some common skeleton.” An unexpected tingling of magic within your cheekbones rises as they hop off the stool, giggling to themselves as they exit the diner. 

You watch them leave, and jump as Grillby appears behind you, scrubbing the counter. His flames flicker in a knowing way and the tingling in your cheekbones increases.

“sh-shut up grillby.” you mutter as you turn back and hunch over the counter.

His flames flicker again, this time with laughter.

“quit it, there were definitely no sparks flying.” you say, trying to hide the blush within the fluff of your hood.

He just shakes his head and adjusts his glasses before walking away.

The human was not flirting with you!

Definitely not.

But…

They did smell kinda nice…

You groan slightly and pull the hood over your head as you burrow your face in your arms.

And you definitely did not love their laugh or want to hear it again endlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lastly! I plan to update Are Two Boneheads Better Than One? next so look forward to that :) I'm still figuring out pacing and how much I want accomplished in the next chapter so it's taking me a minute. <3
> 
> And if you didn't know, I am also on Tumblr! I post my stories there as well as some artsy stuff I've done (mainly it's just a sans mosaic right now XD). I do have a few other requests for mosaics too that I'm pretty excited about, so you should keep an eye out. ;)
> 
> http://skelegirl-fanfic.tumblr.com


	5. Nicknames

“YOUR FIGHTING SKILLS ARE MOST ADMIRABLE, HUMAN!” Papyrus exclaimed, a little out of breath. A faint blush tinted his cheek bones, “AND, UM, YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS ARE…” His blush increased and he coughed, “UM ANYWAY, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO ON A DATE WITH ME I’LL BE AT THE HOUSE!” He laughed nervously and ran away before you could say a word.

You just shake your head with a smile as you trek back to the town. Papyrus was always the same lovable goof, and you couldn’t help but pay him compliments. You sighed happily as their house came into view and saw Papyrus’ eye sockets widen in surprise.

“YOU ACTUALLY CAME!” he said excitedly and ran to you. “DO YOU WANT TO GO ON A DATE?”

“Uh…” You smile up at his adorable face. You had hoped to clear up the misunderstanding, but…you can’t say no to him.

And…you do love him…

Your own cheeks redden as memories flicker in your mind. You really do love him, don’t you? You shake your head to clear the memories as Papyrus waits patiently for your response.

“what’s up, bro?” sans asks, suddenly appearing behind you.

You inhale a sharp breath as his grin fills your vision. “hey, kid. i thought you’d be moving on by now.”

Your heart thuds in your chest as he shoves his hands in his pockets and tilts his head to the side, lazy grin plastered on his face as he watches you.

But sans…

Oh, god…

You loved him too.

You head whipped back and forth between the two brothers as your mind continued to unravel with memories and emotions.

This…was going to be even harder than you thought.

“WHY, THE HUMAN AND I ARE ABOUT TO GO ON A DATE!” Papyrus said proudly.

“oh, that’s cool.” sans said simply. In the corner of your eye, you could’ve sworn you saw his carefree smile falter.

“YES OF COURSE IT IS! IT IS WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL!” Papyrus glanced down at you, “WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO ON THE DATE NOW?” he asked shyly.

“S-sure.” you say, blood rushing to your head as you feel a certain short skeleton staring at your back.

“EXCELLENT!” Papyrus exclaimed as he grabbed your hand, oblivious to the tension that surrounds his companions. “I HAVE THE PERFECT PLACE FOR US TO GO! IT’S WHERE I SPEND A LOT OF MY TIME!”

Wild guess…your house?

“MY HOUSE!” Papyrus squealed with glee at his clever plan.

You just smiled and followed the adorable goof to his home, your ears hyper aware of the slippered footsteps that crunched through the snow behind you.

As you enter the skelebro’s home, sans slides past you to take his usual seat on the couch. Papyrus proudly gives you a tour, explaining every small detail your eyes set upon. After he’s gone over the pet rock, the kitchen cabinet, the trash can, the T.V., the sock, and even the carpet and walls; he fidgets awkwardly as he smiles at you.

sans takes this opportunity to be ‘helpful’. “hey, bro.” A smirk spread across his face.

“YES, SANS?” Papyrus asks innocently.

“i think this is the part where you take them to your room,” He winks at you, “to, uh do date stuff.”

“OH MY GOD YOU’RE RIGHT!” Papyrus says as he claps his hands over his mandibles. “I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT!”

“Wait-“ you start to say, but Papyrus grasps your arm again, determinedly leading you to his bedroom.

“COME ALONG HUMAN! THE DATE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!”

You manage to shoot a glare toward sans just as the door shuts, but he just dismisses it with a shrug. Stupid smug skeleton.

The date was…well…as eventful and awkward as it’s always been. Though, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t have a little fun too. Except right now, it was awkward again.

Papyrus was sitting on his bed, crying softly in his hands. As softly as he could, at least. “NYOO HOO HOO. I HAVE FAILED YOU HUMAN!” He weeped, “I…I COULDN’T LOVE YOU AS MUCH AS YOU LOVE ME.”

“Hey, Paps it’s ok.” you murmur gently and stroke the back of his spine. “I’m ok, see?” The irony is not lost on you as you comfort the one who ‘rejected’ you.

“B-BUT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE HUMAN! YOUR HEART WILL ALWAYS PINE FOR ME!” He doesn’t notice your giggle as he wails again and returns his face to his hands. “I AM SUCH A TERRIBLE FRIEND TO CAUSE YOU SUCH HEARTACHE!”

“Sh, Paps it’s ok.” you whisper again in a soothing tone.

“P-PAPS?” he sniffled, “Y-YOU KEEP CALLING ME P-PAPS.” His wide, sad eye sockets gaze at you. “W-WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME P-PAPS?”

You blush slightly and glance away, “Um, well because we’re friends. Friends give each other nicknames.”

“TH-THEY DO?” his sniffles started to subside as his attention was focused on this topic.

“Yeah, they uh give each other nicknames to show what good friends they are and how much they care about each other.” You turn to him again and give him a shy smile.

“WOWIE! THAT’S AMAZING HUMAN!” Papyrus said as he stood up abruptly, “THEN AS YOUR VERY GOOD FRIEND I WILL DO MY BEST TO HELP YOU OVERCOME YOUR BROKEN HEART AND FIND HAPPINESS!”

“That’s great, Paps.” you say with a sigh, relief lifting the weight from your ‘heartache’ already.

Papyrus opened his mouth again and froze, a thoughtful gleam in his eye sockets. “DOES SANS HAVE A NICKNAME, HUMAN?”

Well I can certainly think of a few…

“N-nope!” you say with a forced smile, hoping he doesn't notice your eye twitch in annoyance.

Papyrus paused for a moment and stroked his mandible. “HMM…” He looked at you for a moment with a strange smile, “I WILL BE RIGHT BACK. WAIT HERE HUMAN!”

“Where are you-“ Papyrus left the room before you could finish speaking. You roll your eyes and push yourself off the bed. Of course you weren’t going to wait. You peeked out of the room just as Papyrus bounded down the stairs.

“SANS GUESS WHAT!” He said as he jumped onto his brother.

“w-what?” sans said in a muffled voice, laughing as he pushed him off. His gaze flickered to you, a moment of nervousness seemed to glow in his eye sockets, but it was gone in a flash. He turned back to his brother with a wide grin, “did the date go well?”

“YES THE HUMAN WAS DELIGHTFUL!” Papyrus said excitedly.

“oh.” sans’ voice was so quiet you almost didn’t hear it through Papyrus’ chatter. You ducked further in the room, out of view, but left the door open so you could hear.

“BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT I WANTED TO TELL YOU!” Papyrus continued, not noticing his brother’s discomfort. “THE HUMAN HAS GIVEN ME A NICKNAME!”

“oh…that’s cool?” You sucked in a breath at sans’ confusion.

“YES AND THAT MEANS THAT I AM THEIR BEST FRIEND!” Papyrus announced triumphantly. “BUT DO NOT WORRY, I AM SURE THAT YOU WILL ALSO GET A NICKNAME SOMEDAY!”

“yeah…” sans voice sounded sad.

“OK HUMAN!” Papyrus called out loudly, “YOU MAY NOW JOIN US!”

“Be down in a sec!” You call back and lean against the doorframe, swallowing your anxiety. Ok, you can do this. Just pretend you didn’t totally eavesdrop on everything. You plaster a smile on your face as you slowly walk down the steps to an eager Papyrus, and a zoned out sans. Papyrus was practically bouncing on the couch as he waited for you to descend the stairs, and just as you stepped off the last step he was at your side, scooping you up in his arms in a tight embrace.

“I HAVE TO GO AND PATROL NOW.” He said as he set you down gently, waving goodbye as he headed toward the door. “THANK YOU FOR THE NICE DATE, HUMAN!” He shut the door behind him, not noticing your face-palm as he exited the home.

Feeling exhausted, you plopped down next to sans. Closing your eyes and leaning back on the couch, you feel the cushions shift as if someone is scooting away from you. Peeking one eye open, you tilt your head to the side and glance at sans who was watching you with a strange look on his face.

When he caught your eye, his permagrin returned. “so, pap seemed to have a good time.”

You giggled and leaned back on the couch, closing your eye again. “Yeah, I guess he did. He’s such an adorable ball of energy.”

“yeah.” his voice sounded quiet, and unsure. “he uh seemed pretty excited about a nickname.” 

“Mm yeah I just called him Paps.” You shrug, eyes still closed.

“ah…” 

Silence stretches between you, broken only by the dull noise from the T.V.

sans mutters something, but it’s too quiet to hear over Mettaton’s quiz show.

“What was that?” you ask, sitting up and looking at him.

He glances down at his lap and mutters again, only slightly louder, “do, uh, do i have a nickname?”

Thankfully, he’s so focused on avoiding your eyes that he doesn’t see the bright red blob that you would normally refer to as your face. “U-um well…” You have a nickname for him. A few actually. But…now probably wouldn’t be the best time to tell him. “N-no, you don’t.”

“oh, ok.” he muttered with a sigh and sagged back into the couch. “well, if i ever get one, i hope it’s sans-ational.” Dim glowing orbs flicker to meet your eyes as he flashes you a sad smile, “if you want to give me one, that is.”

You chew the inside of your cheek, fighting the urge to tackle him into a hug right now. You have to remind yourself he still has no idea who you are or…who you used to be. A shiver runs down your spine but you force the negative thoughts away. It’s about you and sans now, and you’re determined to keep it that way.

You return his smile with one of your own, “Yeah, I guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?” Your heart flutters each time you say ‘we’ and the urge to hug him becomes unbearable. You lean in closer, breathing hard against your racing heart, “Hey…sans?”

sans jumps up from the couch, a blue blush glowing bright within his cheekbones. “i uh just remembered i gotta go um p-patrol with papyrus.” His bones rattled as he fidgeted with his jacket nervously, “um s-so i’ll be going now.”

“W-wait!” You reach out a hand to stop him, but you grasp at empty air.


	6. Date Friends

Stupid.

I’m so stupid.

You groan as you hold your skull in your hands, resting your forehead against the cool countertop of your station.

Of course they hadn’t been flirting with you.

It was much more logical for them to find interest in your cool brother.

But then they flirted with you again on the couch.

Or at least…it seemed like they did?

And you ran away.

You just up and disappeared.

“dammit.” you mutter under your breath, scratching the back of your skull. Humans are confusing as hell.

“SANS!” Papyrus shouted, announcing his arrival long before he reached your station.

“h-hey bro.” you say as you sit up quickly.

Papyrus stops in front of you, eye sockets wide with shock. “YOU’RE ACTUALLY AT YOUR POST! AND YOU’RE AWAKE!”

“hey yeah, looks tibia that way.”

“UGH, SANS WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS MAKE PUNS?” Papyrus sighed and looked around. “WHERE IS THE HUMAN?”

“uh…” I kinda ditched them at our house? “i think they’re out exploring the town.”

Papyrus stroked his mandible thoughtfully, “WELL, I DO HOPE THEY’LL STILL BE IN TOWN WHEN I AM FINISHED WITH RECALIBRATING ALL THE PUZZLES.” His smile widened and he blushed slightly, “I WOULD LIKE TO SAY GOODBYE TO THEM BEFORE THEY LEAVE!”

You glance down to the counter again, and whisper, “what do you think of the kid?”

“I THINK THEY ARE TRULY WONDERFUL!” Papyrus said cheerfully, and you sink your skull further into the fluff of your hood. “AND I AM TRULY HAPPY THAT WE HAVE ALREADY BECOME BEST FRIENDS!” He laughed, “AND AFTER ONLY ONE DATE!”

“yeah…that’s great bro.” you mutter quietly.

Papyrus slams his hands on the counter loudly, startling you. “I THINK THAT YOU COULD BECOME GREAT FRIENDS WITH THE HUMAN AS WELL! PERHAPS NOT AS CLOSE AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BUT STILL PRETTY GOOD!”

You open your mouth to speak, but he waggles a finger at you. “YOU JUST HAVE TO STOP BEING SO LAZY! I HAVE LEARNED THAT THE SECRET TO FRIENDSHIP IS FORCING THEM TO SOLVE PUZZLES AND FIGHT!” He grinned proudly, “AND, WHEN YOU ARE AS SKILLED AT FRIENDSHIP AS I, YOU ASK THEM ON A DATE!”

“i-i don’t think that’s how it works bro.” you say as your cheekbones tingle, wishing the fluff of your hood could consume you completely.

“NONSENSE! IT WORKED PERFECTLY!” Papyrus said as he scooped you up underneath your arms. “I HAVE A NICKNAME NOW, AFTER ALL!”

You let your legs dangle as Papyrus holds you high. You try to keep your voice casual as you ask, “you gonna go on another date with them?”

He sets you down, crosses his arms, and tilts his head to the side. “HM I HAD THOUGHT ABOUT IT. AND ALSO HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT IT.” he says with a sigh, “PERHAPS IF THEY WISH TO?” He blushed slightly, “THOUGH, UM, BEST FRIENDS IS ALSO GOOD.” He twiddled his fingers together, his blush increasing. “WE UH DON’T HAVE TO BE DATE FRIENDS.” He clapped his hands over his face as he said, “THAT’S WHAT I TOLD THEM AT LEAST. I DID NOT WANT THEM TO BE INTIMIDATED BY MY GREATNESS.”

The orbs within your eye sockets sparked, “you don’t want to be, uh, date friends with them?”

“NO. YES. I’M NOT SURE.” Papyrus said as he waved his hands in front of him. “UH, WHEN WE HAD THE DATE I FELT BAD BECAUSE I COULD NOT MATCH THE INTENSE LOVE THAT THEY FELT FOR ME. BUT NOW…THINKING ABOUT IT-“ he chuckled nervously and glanced away, “-IT…WAS QUITE FUN SPENDING TIME WITH THEM AND THEY SAID A LOT OF NICE THINGS TO ME.” His blush returned, “AND I WAS REALLY EXCITED WHEN THEY GAVE ME A NICKNAME.” He sighed and turned to you again with a small smile, “I AM NOT QUITE SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT THEM. I THINK IT IS BEST THAT I DO NOT PURSUE IT, HOWEVER, UNLESS THEY EXPRESS INTEREST. AS I SAID, I AM QUITE HAPPY WITH THE FRIENDSHIP THEY HAVE GIVEN ME, AND I WOULD NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING TO RUIN IT.”

Your smile isn’t as easy to manage as usual, “aw, that’s great bro. i’m glad you found such a good friend.” You don’t want to do anything to hurt your relationship with your brother either.

“I STILL THINK YOU SHOULD TRY TO PUT A LITTLE MORE EFFORT INTO IT.” Papyrus said, crossing his arms again. “THE HUMAN IS VERY KIND AND I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU TO MAKE FRIENDS TOO.” He smiled innocently, “PLUS, YOU ALSO WANT A NICKNAME, DON’T YOU?”

Your cheek bones tingle and you retreat back into the comforting fluff of your hood, “nah, i don’t really care about stuff like that.”

Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets suspiciously as he gazed down at you. “I SEE.” He muttered to himself as he walked away.

You breathe a sigh of relief as you watch him go.

* * *

Well.

You’re in the skelebro’s house.

Alone.

You suck on the inside of your cheek as you kick your legs out, letting them fall and hit the couch with a thump before repeating the process over and over again. You had forgotten sans had his fancy teleportation ability again. Sighing, you fall onto the backrest and stare up at the ceiling.

Now what?

Maybe you could head to Waterfall now? You didn’t really want to leave without saying goodbye, and you were hoping that sans would start to remember you before you left. But…it was proving to be a lot more difficult than you had anticipated.

You shake your head quickly to block out thoughts that start to rise in your mind. Standing up, you hear a small thump as a small device hits the floor. You sigh as you pick up your phone. Well, your surface phone. That one didn’t really work down here, but it still had some music on it. You also had the cell phone Toriel gave you that somehow gets great reception down here. You glance around the empty living room again and sigh once more. Well, may as well hang out here till they get home.

You set Toriel’s phone on the couch and plugged into your headphones into yours. Tucking it safely in your pocket as you stick the earbuds in your ears, you set it to shuffle. The first song that starts to play, Ode to the Bouncer - Studio Killers, starts off this one man dance party with a nice beat. You stretch your arms out, feeling the music as you stretch your spine and your head bobs to the music.

You’re still a little shy, even when dancing alone, but as the songs play through, your inhibitions melt away. Soon, you’re moving and grooving to the beat all across the living room. Booyah - Showtek begins to play, slowing you down once more. You slowly bring yourself up on your toes, bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet as the music builds. At the first “Booyah!” you sink down to the floor in a low squat with your arms outspread, each thump earning a small wiggle from a hip, arm, or whatever else you can wiggle while maintaining your balance. Whenever the beat shifts and at each “Booyah!”, you shimmy your shoulders and pull a funny face. 

Your heart begins to race and you retrieve your phone to find another song. You like dancing around, but you’re not in the best shape. You smile slightly as you find your Mayday Parade album and pick a song, If You Can’t Live Without Me, Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?. You still bob your head to the beat, but opt to sing with your totally amazing vocals instead of dancing around like a spazz.

A little out of breath, you begin in a quiet whisper, “I sorely miss the vibrant gleam that’s in your eyes. I’ll write a song about it.” You suck in a breath as you realize this song makes you think of a certain someone, “I hope tonight it will find you…will remind you.”

He forgot me.

You shake your head again, forcing the thoughts away and try again to lose yourself in the song. “But what’s holding me back is the thought of time we never had! My world’s hanging by three words that I can’t bear to say.”

He doesn’t want to remember me.

You clear your throat and catch your breath, not wanting to miss the whole chorus, “Do you miss the way the world was spinning for us? Do you hurt the way that I do?” You bit your bottom lip and clench your phone tight, holding it like a microphone, “After all this time you leave me broken. This song is every word I left unspoken.”

He doesn’t remember us.

You blink back tears and jump up and down, letting the band sing the song alone for a few more lines before joining in again. “Baby, I told myself that I’ll be fine but it’s a lie. I don’t want to talk about it.” Your movements slow as thoughts fight for dominance in your mind. Quietly, you mumble, “Memories, oh they cut like knives. Deep inside I’m falling…catch me if you can…” You stare down at the device clenched in your fist, and a tear drips down onto the screen. You scrub it away, as well as its partners dripping down your cheeks. Inhaling deeply, you begin to belt out the chorus.

* * *

Shortly after Papyrus leaves, you decide to return home. You still felt like an idiot, but you really should apologize for ditching the human like that. You pinch the bone that bridges your eye sockets. Why did you even do that?

It hadn’t been long since you left, and Papyrus had said they were welcome to stay at your house for a few days. Hoping that there were still there, you teleported into the living room. Your smile falters when you see they aren’t on the couch, but their phone is still there. Then you hear some shuffling. Turning slightly, you see the human with headphones in their ears, the cord dangling across their chest and looping around to their back pocket and a cell phone slightly sticking out, teasingly close to escaping the pocket and crashing onto the floor. Their eyes are closed from what you can see through the mess of hair that wildly whips through the air. They jump around in a circle, pumping their fist in the air, before settling into a position with their back toward you. Whatever song they’re listening to, they seem really excited about it. They laugh as their raise their arms high, while bending their knees to bring themselves lower to the ground. Your cheekbones tingle slightly as you watch the performance and clear your nonexistent throat, but they don’t hear you. Their hips sway side to side as they bring themselves up again, bouncing on the balls of their feet.

Oh my god.

You teleport back outside and lean against the front door, pulling your hood up over your face fighting the tingling that burns in your cheekbones and the wild thrumming in your rib cage.

“SANS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Papyrus’ voice asks from above.

“n-nothin’ bro.” you mutter, covering your face further.

“WHY ARE YOU STANDING OUTSIDE?” He tugged at your hood, pulling it free from your skull. “SANS WHY IS YOUR FACE ALL BLUE? ARE YOU GETTING SICK?”

“m-maybe?” you chuckle unevenly and step out of his way. “u-uh maybe we should knock first?”

“WHY WOULD I DO THAT? WE LIVE HERE SANS.” Papyrus said and shook his head, “IS THIS SO YOU CAN SET UP A KNOCK KNOCK JOKE?”

“no!” That is a good idea though. You lift up a hand to stop him, but he’s already turning the door knob.

The human is swaying side to side as they sing, “Do you miss the way the world was spinning for us? Do you hurt the way that I do?” It almost sounded like their voice cracked, but they just sing louder, “After all this time you leave me broken! This song is every word I left unspoken-“

“HUMAN!” Papyrus’ voice booms loudly and the human squeaks in surprise, whipping around and pulling out the ear buds.

“sans! Papyrus!” They chuckle shyly as they scroll through the phone to turn off the music. “Sorry, guess I lost track of time!” They smile and glance between you and Papyrus. “I was hoping to say goodbye before I-“

Papyrus strode quickly over to them, cupping their chin in his hand and leaning in close. “YOUR EYES ARE RED AND PUFFY. HUMAN, ARE YOU OK?”

“W-what?” Their cheeks turn pink as they lean away from Papyrus. “Oh, I just…stubbed my toe while I was dancing.” They laugh again and rub the back of their head. “I’m totally not coordinated, but it’s fun to pretend I can dance.”

Papyrus sighed, clearly unconvinced, and glanced back at you. “I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE THE HUMAN STAY WITH US FOR AT LEAST ONE MORE NIGHT-” He held up a finger to shush their protests, “-JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE OK BEFORE THEY CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY.”

“Really, Paps I’m fine.” The human says, sounding slightly exasperated. “I’ve already overstayed my welcome.”

He just grinned down at them, “NONSENSE! WE LOVE HAVING YOU HERE,” He glanced over his shoulder again, giving you a meaningful look, “DON’T WE SANS?”

“yeah.” you say quietly, nervously meeting the human’s eyes. “i don’t see any harm-ony in you hanging out with us one more night.”

Your rib cage thrums for a moment when they smile at you. “Ok, I should probably sit down. All that dancing made me tired, I’m about to fall flat.”

Your smile widens, “maybe next time you should scale back.”

They giggle and your rib cage thrums again, “Oh good idea! You’re pretty clef-er.”

“i have been told i’m pretty sharp.”

You laugh as Papyrus groans, “OH MY GOD, MAYBE I MADE A MISTAKE.”

“Aw, Paps, am I in treble?” The human grins proudly at you.

“don’t mind him, this isn’t really his forte.” You snicker as Papyrus retreats to the kitchen.

“Well, that’s only a minor setback.” The human says as they walk over to you.

You shrug, “some people just don’t measure up.”

“PLEASE JUST STOP!” Papyrus yelled from the kitchen, encouraging another round of giggles.

The tingling in your cheekbones increases as the human gazes at you, eyes shining with laughter. “We should probably guitar act together, I don’t like his tone.”

Your breathing is uneven now for some strange reason, “wait, i still have a few more. it’ll only take a minuet.”

The human throws back their head and their sweet laughter fills the room. “I don’t believe you.”

“are you calling me a lyre?” You ask, mocking offense.

“Oh my god, sans!” The human leans forward, resting a hand on your clavicle for support.

“WOULD YOU TWO GIVE IT A REST?!” Papyrus complained.

You both froze and looked at each other for a moment, before bursting into laughter again. “s-sorry bro, didn’t quite hear ya.” The kid’s hand is still on your clavicle, and you wonder if they can feel the thrumming within your bones. “could you repeat that?”

“YES I SAID-“ He paused for a moment, “WAIT! NO! I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! AGH!”

Your attention is focused on the human as they hiccup through giggles. Their hand strokes across your clavicle and down your arm before returning to their side. It was a simple motion, and only lasted a second, but you were hyper aware of their touch and missed it the moment it disappeared. 

“I don’t think he’s in tune with the conversation.”

You open your mouth to speak, but Papyrus enters the living room. “THE SPAGHETTI IS READY!” He announced proudly and the kid looked somewhat anxious, “AND DO NOT WORRY HUMAN, I USED THE GRANDMOTHER RECIPE YOU GAVE ME THIS TIME!” They breathed a silent sigh of relief and smiled at you again.

“Thanks Paps!” They say cheerfully as they follow him to the dining table.

You lift a hand to your clavicle, resting over the bone that’s still warm from their touch.

Well, this has been a major development.

You stay back for a moment, watching the human and Papyrus. He sits close to them, leaning over the table in awe as they slurp up the spaghetti noodles. The human blushes at his praises and covers their face in embarrassment.

Your smile falters slightly. You walk over to join them, choosing a seat on the other side of the table instead. The human casts glances at you now and then, and you smile softly, leaning back against the chair as you eat. Papyrus is telling them tales of his day now, and you don’t want to interfere with that. You hum responses whenever he tries to include you in the conversation, swirling the noodles on your fork again and again as you let their voices fade into a dull roar.


	7. Piece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Note isn't important to the story. Author is just gushing so feel free to skip XD*
> 
> Ah! Sorry! I just wanted to say I'm so...so happy! :D Between here, FanFiction, and Tumblr I have met so many kind and supportive people and it just makes me smile. I love when people comment or message me and let me know how my stories make them feel. I especially love it when people try to guess what's going to happen in my stories because it shows that you've read my other ones and know my writing style and plots.
> 
> This fandom...wowie... You are all just such wonderful people and I can't express how grateful I am to everyone. I never expected to fall so in love with writing or wanting to write so much! I even have a few fans between the sites and that just blows my mind! Thank you so much! <3 Writing these stories has truly become a wonderful part of my life and it makes me so happy that they can bring you guys joy...or sorrow depending on which one I'm writing. ;)
> 
> Thank you all so much! :*
> 
> <3 Skel

Papyrus insisted that you sleep over for one more night before continuing on, and you were persistent on declining. But he was persistenter and kept asking you to stay, explaining that a good night’s rest is vital to prepare for a long and perilous journey. You continued to refuse, but eventually he proved to be the persistentest and you ended up bumming on their couch for one more night.

You did, however, manage to sneak out of there in the morning before Papyrus attempted to feed you breakfast spaghetti. You couldn’t find sans, and decided to continue on with a heavy heart. Staying in their house didn’t seem to be helping your progress with recovering his memories… Maybe Alphys would know how to help?

You sighed, pulling out your phone to text a farewell to Papyrus and expressing your deep regret for not having the time to spare to eat his delicious meal. You had made it to the entrance of Waterfall as you tucked your phone away, and your heart skipped when you saw the familiar skeleton. Of course he’d be here. You’ve done this so many times before, but it still caught you by surprise and you blush.

“H-hey sans.” You mumble as you stop in front of his station.

“hey, kid. you look surprised.” he said with a lazy grin, supporting his skull by resting his mandible in his left hand.

Not really. “Yeah, I was wondering where you were this morning.”

He sighed, “well, i have more than one job. it’s pretty nice because that means i get to take a lot more breaks.”

“Do you think it’s about time for one now?” You try to keep your tone neutral, but a little hopeful lilt manages to slip out.

“uh…no i just took one a few minutes ago.” he said, glancing away as his smile falters.

“O-oh.” You say simply, not sure what to do next. He’s never declined the opportunity to take a break before. You shift from foot to foot and chew your lip. Could you be screwing this up?

“you ok, buddy?” sans asks with concern. You almost cry at the platonic gleam that glows in his eye sockets.

“N-no I’m good. I’m just a l-little nervous to uh go through Waterfall. Papyrus made Undyne sound pretty tough.”

“i’m sure you’re going tibia fine.” He flashes a comforting smile.

“Yeah…I’m sure I will be…” You mumble as you turn away, “I guess I’ll see you later, sans.”

“see ya.”

You continue to worry your bottom lip as you continue on through Waterfall, almost forgetting about Undyne patrolling the caverns.

Almost.

You duck through the weeds and wait, trying to calm your racing heart as you overheard Papyrus’ report to Undyne. He thankfully omitted the parts about you eating dinner with them and sleeping over, but she was not pleased as usual when he informed her that he failed capturing you. Blood was pounding in your ears as you peeked through the weeds and gazed up at her shadowy figure. She was always so scary at this part.

Her heavy footsteps fade in the distance, and you breathe a quiet sigh of relief. Waiting just a few more breaths, you emerge from the weeds and manage to catch Monster Kid before they fell on their face.

“Yo! Thanks!” They said happily as they straightened up, “Man, Undyne is so cool!”

You laugh as you agree, watching them run off and wincing slightly as they trip again. Smiling after them, you turn and shake your head. Some things never change.

The image of sans staying at his station flickers in your mind and you clutch at your chest.

And some things…might not ever be the same again…

* * *

Ah, crap.

“WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY?! WHEN YOU’RE ABOUT TO DIE?” Undyne shouted down from the mountain top.

No, no, no!

“NGAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” She screamed loudly as she jumped down from the precipice.

“I’m not ready!” You shout back, but your voice is overwhelmed by her battle cry. You always forgot when the moment was that she would finally face off with you. You squat on the ground and throw your arms up over your head, bracing for the blow. It always hurt like hell whenever she landed on you.

…

Nothing happened.

You tentatively remove your arms from your head to glance up at Undyne. A wall of bones blocked your vision and you inhaled a sharp breath. “Papyrus?” you whisper to yourself.

“sans! What the HELL do you think you’re doing?!” Undyne screamed on the other side of the makeshift wall.

“i…i don’t know.” sans said, stepping out of the shadows behind you with his arms outstretched.

“Well it looks like you’re defending the human!” She growled.

“heh heh yeah that would seem tibia fair guess.” He chuckled nervously. Poor guy seemed thoroughly confused.

Undyne stormed over to him and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him close to her face. “Did you forget what your job is? What our purpose is?!”

“n-no.” sans stuttered, the lights in his eye sockets flickering over to you with concern. He seemed relieved to find you uninjured.

“We’re supposed to capture humans!” Undyne pointed over her shoulder with her spear in your general direction, eye never leaving sans.

“oh yeah, heh.” A strange yet familiar sensation gripped your soul, and you body floated upward as he shrugged. A quick glance confirmed you were higher than the bones and he yawned, stretching his arm across his body casually which caused your body to vault over the bones. “i guess i forgot that part.”

“How could you forget that part?! That’s the only part!” Undyne pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“i dunno, because i’m a bonehead?” sans chuckled as he lowered his arms, setting you gently down on the ground as his hands returned to his pockets. He made a small nod, gesturing for you to move forward and he smiles as you give him a silent thank you.

You take off running and Undyne turns at your retreating footsteps. 

“Hey! That punk is getting away! sans! Move this wall.”

“ok.”

“sans you just made the bones higher!”

“oops.”

“SANS!”

“sorry.” His voice definitely did not sound sorry as he laughed.

“sans move this wall right now or I’ll kick your ass!” You heard Undyne scream as you made it to the welcome sign of Hotland.

“that’ll be kinda hard considering i don’t have one.” his voice is faint now and you hear the sound of bone breaking as Undyne shouts another battle cry. “oh, looks like you made a door.”

“Get back here human!” Metal clad feet thumped through the cavern, chasing after you at a quick and determined pace.

Just make it to Hotland.

The footsteps are getting closer. Your ears ring with the sound of metal grinding against stone.

Just get to Hotland.

“Found you.” Undyne hisses and you hear the sizzle of magic as a spear is formed.

Almost there.

You cry tears of joy as your blinded by the bright glow of lava. Undyne says something, but you don’t here it. Your legs burn and your lungs ache as you push through your exhaustion and stumble across the bridge. You don’t stop until you make it to the other side, the sound of Undyne collapsing behind you filling you with relief.

Wiping the sweat from your brow, you dutifully make your way to the water cooler and pour a drink for Undyne. Your throat feels parched from running and the hot air, but can get yourself a cup afterward. Undyne needs it more than you do.

Slowly you make your way toward her, not wanting to spill a drop. You kneel before her and offer her the cup. She snatches it from your hand and gulps it down wordlessly. She eyes you suspiciously as she stands up, wiping her chin and walks away. Resting a hand on your heart, you sigh with a smile as you stand to get your own drink.

The cup evaporates from your hands as you cross the bridge again, catching sans at the station before he disappeared.

“Hey, sans!” you call out to him and he turns around, eye sockets wide.

“h-hey kid.” He faces you with a shy smile.

“Thanks for your help back there!” You give him a playful nudge. “Really saved my skin.”

“oh yeah, no problem.” He chuckles and rubs the back of his skull. “are you, um, are you ok?” His sideway glance is absolutely adorable.

“Yes, thank you!” You say sincerely and step toward him with your hands clasped behind your back. You lean a little closer and tilt your head to the side, “But I didn’t like it when you called yourself a bonehead.”

“oh?” he says as he leans back, arm hovering in front of him in surprise.

You shake your head, “No. I don’t like it. It’s too self-depreciating.” you wink at him, “And you are most definitely not a bonehead.” You lean back as well and stroke your chin thoughtfully. “I got it!”

“got what?” His brow bones furrow in confusion.

“Your nickname!” You giggle and boop him lightly on the bone that bridges his eye sockets.

“wh-what?” He covers his forehead with his hand as a light blue blush spreads across his face.

You smile mischievously and start to turn away, “Unless you don’t want it?”

“no! i do!” He says quickly, grabbing your wrist and pulling you back. He stares down at your arm as his skull turns bluer. “um, please? i would really like to…have a nickname…too.”

You turn away and cover your mouth, trying to stifle a giggle. Oh my god he’s too cute! You focus on inhaling and exhaling as your ears begin to burn under the gaze of a skeleton. Ok. One more breath. You rest your hand over your still fluttering heart and turn to face him again, leaving your hand in his. 

“I’m going to call you: piece.” You say simply.

“peace?” he drops your hand and stares at you, confusion increasing.

“Yeah, like a piece of something.” You press your lips together, not wanting to explain it to him quite yet.

“i…don’t get it…” he mumbles, seeming disappointed. He glances down at the ground, “papyrus’ nickname made sense. why am i called piece?”

You gently hook a finger under his mandible and lift up his head. His magic vibrates against your fingertip as the blue blush returns to his face. “Well, nicknames can be simple or complicated.” you whisper quietly and stroke up his mandible to cup the left side of his face. “I only give complicated ones to people that are extra special to me.”

His eye sockets are completely void of light and the sound of rattling bones fills the space between you. Glancing down you can see his legs are shaking.

“See ya later, piece.” You chuckle as you trace down his mandible, releasing him and turning toward Hotland once more.


	8. The Key

Your phone rang and you answered it without looking at the caller ID, holding it a few inches away from your ear. “HUMAN! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

“Hey, Paps!” You answer cheerfully as you wander around aimlessly, swinging your free arm around as you speak. “What’s up?”

“I WAS THINKING THAT YOU AND UNDYNE WOULD BE REALLY GREAT FRIENDS!”

“Oh, why’s that?” you giggle.

“BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE SUCH GREAT TASTE. YOU’RE BOTH FRIENDS WITH ME!” Papyrus responded proudly.

“Well, you are pretty cool. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with you?” You smile to yourself as you turn around and head back toward Waterfall. You want to do everything correctly this time. This timeline you’ll finally make it to the surface, and you’re determined to find a way to bring all your friends with you.

“W-WOWIE THANK YOU!” Papyrus sputtered and you stifled another giggle, “IT IS T-TRULY FLATTERING TO RECEIVE COMPLIMENTS FROM YOU!”

You blush slightly and clear your throat, “So, uh, Undyne. When do you think we should hang out?”

“WHY NOT RIGHT NOW? I AM ALREADY ON MY WAY TO HER HOUSE. DO YOU KNOW WHERE SHE LIVES?” 

“Yeah, I think I saw it on the way to Hotland. I can backtrack a bit.” Ignore the fact that you’ve visited it hundreds of times before.

“GREAT! I WILL MEET YOU THERE!”

“See you in a bit, Paps.” you say as you hang up, staring at your phone for a moment. You remember almost every timeline, but some memories are more blurry than others. You shiver slightly, wishing there was some that could be forgotten completely but of course, the ones that lingered most vividly were filled with the most regret. You scowl at nothing in particular and shove your phone in your pocket, thinking to yourself as you walk. It was faint but you do remember that flower taunting you about your friends. You’ve never made it back to the surface before, but he said something about one of your friends being the key?

Key to what?

You sigh and swing your arms loosely as you walk to Waterfall, smiling at Papyrus as he came into view. Whatever and whoever this key was, you will figure this out. You WILL save them. Papyrus jumps up and waves to you enthusiastically and you return it with a smile. Papyrus deserves to see the sun.

And sans…

“ARE YOU READY TO HANG OUT?” Papyrus asked with wide eye sockets.

You nod, and your smile falters slightly as he turns to knock on the door. Your heart aches as memories flicker behind your eye lids.

sans deserves to be freed from this nightmare. Endless timelines, loops, and resets. Not to mention your fair share of pain you caused him with the “help” of Chara.

Undyne answers the door and her eye twitches as Papyrus steps aside to present you. You smile softly and wave shyly, feeling intimidated but confident. You’ve befriended her before, and you remember even though she might not. You can do this.

She grits her teeth and clasps her hands together a little too tightly as she invites you inside. Stiffly, and with a curt nod, you accept and walk inside her home. Right on cue, Papyrus leaves out the window for the bathroom and blood rushes to your head as Undyne glares at you.

The key…

The key to your happiness…

Helping sans see the stars. That’ll be your key. Nothing would make you happier than making his wish come true, even if he never truly remembers you.

“You think you’re real funny, don’t you punk?” Undyne said through her teeth.

“What do you mean?” You ask gently.

Her eye twitched again, “Would you quit with the act already? You…you did something to sans and Papyrus, didn’t you?” You just shrug and she snorts, “I mean, I guess sans makes sense…he’s kind of a bonehead and has never really done his job before. But you tricked Papyrus too and took advantage of his naivety!” She struck her fist into her open palm, “And that’s just not something I can allow! I don’t care if he claims to be your friend-”

“sans has actually done his job very well.” You say simply, not realizing you interrupted her until the words slipped out of your mouth.

“Excuse me?!” She growled, stepping forward.

Way to go, she’s already pissed. You sigh, mentally kicking yourself. Ah well, it’s a bad start, but you couldn’t just let her say something negative about sans and Papyrus like that. Maybe you could dig yourself out of this hole? “Um, sans is a sentry right? So he’s someone that’s supposed to keep guard or control access to a place.” You rest one hand on your hip and tap your finger on your cheek, “Technically, he did that. He stopped me when I was on my way to Snowdin. He asked me who I was and where I came from. Sounds to me like he wanted to make sure I wasn’t a threat.” Undyne opened her mouth to speak, but you continued on as if you hadn’t noticed, “Papyrus also made me go through puz- uh, a lot of trials before he deemed me worthy to enter the town. After I tried to leave Snowdin, he fought me and we…tied.” You smiled at the memory, “He’s very strong, but he’s also very kind.” You glanced at Undyne and smiled, “While we fought he spoke very highly of you, and I think he admires you quite a bit.” You blush and looked down again, “I wouldn’t call him naive…I think he’s very kind spirited and has a knack for finding good in others and motivating them to be the best they can be.”

Her eye narrowed, “You think you’re pretty clever, don’t you?”

You laugh, “Oh, definitely not! I just…I value my friends and-“

“Friends?!” She snapped and strode forward, grabbing fistfuls of your shirt as she yanked you up to her face. “Humans can’t be friends with monsters.”

“Why not?”

She dropped you, seemingly taken aback by the simple question. Covering her mouth as she turned away, she muttered, “Something about this punk is really weird…like I’ve talked to them before…” She turned to you again with a smirk, “Alright, what the hell? You think you’re some hot shot that can befriend anyone? Well, sorry to tell you, but I won’t let anyone beat me!” She jabbed a finger in your chest and said, “I’ll become friends with you way before you can befriend me!”

You open your mouth to say something, but think better of it. She grabs your wrist and pulls you to the table. “Why don’t you have a seat, friend?” she asks through her teeth.

You sit down until she asks if you want something to drink, nearly jumping out of your skin as a spear slices through the air and embeds itself into the table, splitting it in two. That still scared the shit out of you every freaking time. Her strained laughter didn’t do much to calm your nerves, but you dutifully picked up the magical spear and selected your obvious drink of choice: Golden Flower Tea.

The tension slowly melts away as Undyne finally opens up to you and tells you about her childhood and how she found a way to channel her strength. You loved hearing about her past, no matter how many times she’s said it, and smile when she laughs about trying to fight Asgore at such a young age. You empathize with her about mixed feelings of victory and shame at defeating him, and wince slightly when she calls you a weenie, but you don’t really mind it that much. Her eye glazes over as she stares at her tear, lost in thought. You sit quietly and patiently, not wanting to interrupt her memory. 

She sighs and holds her head in her hands, clearly frustrated. “I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know how to be friends with a human.” she mutters.

“Papyrus mentioned he was here for a lesson before he um, jumped out the window?” you offered quietly, “Maybe that could help? Your lessons with him brought you two closer together, didn’t it?”

You cower back in your chair as she glares at you for a moment, mulling over. “Ah, what the hell.” She says with a forced laugh, “C’mon! This’ll make us the best of friends!” She nearly yanked your arm out of the socket as she dragged you to the kitchen.

Predictably, and despite your best efforts, her house ends up in flames. You had tried to keep the heat to a manageable level, but she pushed you out of the way and scoffed at your weakness. You offer a silent apology as the poor building seems to weep, but Undyne doesn’t seem to mind it. She slaps you on the back and bids you farewell, chuckling as you choke out a goodbye.

You give the poor house one last look before you continue on with your journey, shaking your head slightly. At least you and Undyne were starting to become friends again, but you still wished you could figure out a way to keep her house in tact.

As you enter the lab, you have to remind yourself that Alphys doesn’t know you yet. It’s a little disheartening, because you want to reminisce about anime nights that haven’t even happened, but you resolve to make them happen again soon. Thankfully, she’s still as kind and helpful as ever and helps you make it through Mettaton’s improve quiz show.

“U-um I added some upgrades to your phone and uh, added texting.” She mumbles shyly as she hands your device to you.

“Thank you!” you say sincerely with a wide smile, causing her to blush and look away.

“I-it’s nothing, really.” She starts to back away and looks behind her, “Um, I have to go to the bathroom!”

You chuckle to yourself as you carry on, noticing that ‘going to the bathroom’ seems to be a common excuse among monsters to escape awkward situations. Hotland was a little confusing, but Alphys helped you remember the correct paths…even if she did lead you down a few wrong turns a few times. You made an effort to thank her each time she helped you, and let her know it was ok when she messed up with the lasers or directions. It was really quite helpful to have flickers of memories flashing in your mind now and then when Alphys couldn’t remember a solution or was too afraid to advise you.

Smiling with delight at the sight of a familiar skeleton, you jog up the last few steps and call out, “Hey, piece!”

The lights in his eye sockets flicker to you and he gives you a shy smile before glancing away, “h-hey, kid.”

You pause just before him and smile, “Good to see you again. What’s up?”

“oh, just hanging out.” sans says with a shrug, nervously watching you. “do you want to…get a bite to eat?” He blushed and looked down, “um, it’s not a big deal. you just…seemed disappointed that i had taken my break already before.”

He doesn’t see you roll your eyes, and you give him a playful nudge. “Sure! I mean, I do owe you for helping me with Undyne after all.”

He gasped as he met your gaze, “oh no, you don’t owe me anything. i did that because…” he drifted off and looked away.

“Because?” your heart fluttered hopefully. He’s never been this shy and nervous before. Could he be…remembering anything?

He shrugged dismissively, “i dunno. i just felt like it i guess.” He glanced at you again, “and maybe i was worried-” His eye sockets widened and he put up his hands, “i mean, uh, papyrus! papyrus was worried that undyne might hurt you so he asked me to keep an eye socket out for ya.”

You snickered and he furrowed his brow bones, “what’s so funny?”

“Oh nothing. You’re just keeping the peace, aren’t you piece?”

sans’ smile twitched slightly as he asked, “are you going to tell me what that nickname means yet? i’m beginning to think it’s not a good thing.”

You just shake your head and loop your arm though his, causing another nervous shiver to rattle his bones. “Nope. Not yet.” you say, sticking out your tongue at him and laughing as he heaves a sigh. “Come on. Let’s go inside.” You start to tug him toward the front door, but he stops you.

“this way, i know a shortcut.” he says with a sly smile.

Of course you do.


	9. Pranks

“well, here we are.” he says with a shy grin, leaning on the table with his mandible in his left hand. The glowing lights of his eyes flicker as he continues, “so, your journey’s almost over, huh?” he paused for a moment and glanced away, “you must really want to go home.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling, “i know the feeling, though…” He glanced down at you with sadness glowing in his eye sockets, “maybe sometimes it’s better to take what’s given to you.” His smile faltered and he shrugged, “down here you’ve already got food, drink,” his voice lowered to a whisper, “friends…” He glanced away again with a cough, “is what you have to do really so important?”

“Yes.” you say firmly and his gaze flickers to you again in surprise. You bite your bottom lip and stare at the table. “I have to fix this.” you mumble, mostly to yourself.

He watches you carefully for a moment before he sighs, smiling softly, “i feel like you know more than you let on…but…i’m rootin’ for ya, kid.”

His smile turns sly as he tells you the story of his friend Toriel. You chew the inside of your cheek, doing your best to keep a poker face as he talks about trading jokes back and forth and how their friendship blossomed. The lights of his eyes took on a mischievous gleam as he grinned at you.

“now, i hate making promises. and this woman, i don’t even know her name.” You fight the urge to smile as a wonderful idea pops into your mind. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to notice as he reflects on a memory, “but…” he winks, “someone who sincerely likes bad jokes, has an integrity you can’t say ‘no’ to.” Your fingernails bite into your palms as you try to wait for the right moment. He sighs and glances away for a moment, before turning toward you again. “do you get what i’m saying?” You purse your lips because yes, you definitely get what he’s saying, but he doesn’t need to know that. He chuckled quietly, locking your gaze with his, “that promise i made to her…you know what would have happened if she hadn’t said anything?” He sighed again and glanced away, “…buddy.”

Even though you know it’s coming, you can’t stop the nervous shiver that runs down your spine as the lights within his eye sockets are snuffed out and replaced with an empty abyss. His voice takes on a sinister tone as he says, “you’d be dead where you stand.”

Your hands fly to your mouth to stifle the giggle that threatens to escape. Your shoulders shake as he turns to you again, eyes flickering with concern, “buddy?”

Tears start to form in your eyes and his smile falters, “are you ok?” he whispered. You shake your head furiously and stand up, keeping your hands over your mouth to conceal your laugh. “h-hey!” He stretches out a hand to you, brow bones furrowed with worry.

You can’t keep a straight face, so you turn away and sputter, “i-i can’t believe you just threatened me!” You make your way out of the restaurant quickly before you break your composure and burst out laughing.

“w-wait! come back!” You hear sans’ panicked voice at your back as his chair scrapes on the floor. You speed up as he curses his stupidity under his breath and follows after you.

You make it out into the lobby before he appears in front of you. Your hands fly to your mouth to conceal your startled squeak and his glowing eyes flash with concern.

“hey…” he says anxiously, “i-i didn’t mean it.” He held his arms out to comfort you, but hesitated and let them fall to his sides. “i was kidding…” he mumbled quietly as he glanced down at the ground.

“That was a terrible prank.” your voice betrays you as he glances up at you, looking utterly perplexed as he watches you try to fight back your smile.

“wait… you’re not mad at me?”

You shook your head quickly and started to giggle. “No, because my prank was pretty terrible too.”

His brow bones furrow, “you knew?”

You bite your bottom lip to stop yourself from laughing again and nod.

He tilts his skull to the side, even more confused. “how?”

You purse your lips as you think about the question. Could you really tell him about the timelines now? Would that help him remember? You gazed at the glowing lights of his eyes and your heart aches. There’s no hint that he recognizes who you really are. If you just tell him everything right now, he’ll probably just think you’re insane.

You smile softly and feel heat rise within your cheeks as you mumble, “Um, well we’re friends, aren’t we?”

His eye sockets narrowed in suspicion for a moment and you chuckle nervously. He knows you’re keeping something from him, but he can’t figure out what it is and it’s driving him nuts. “friends…” he whispered and brief moment of sadness flickered within his eye sockets, “do you really have to leave?”

Your heart flutters in your chest and before you can stop yourself, you step forward and hug him tightly. “Yes. I can’t…stay down here.” I have to save you.

He gasps in surprise at the sudden embrace, but just as you’re about to pull away his arms wrap tightly around your waist. “why do i feel like i’ve lost something?” he whispers sadly into your shoulder.

Your heart aches and you hug him tighter. “It’s going tibia ok.” you whisper quietly and he chuckles softly. “I promise.”

You both pull away slightly, but his hands linger at your sides as he watches you with a torn expression. You smirk and nudge him playfully on the clavicle, “You said you believed in me, didn’t you?”

His hands shook as he let you go. “i do…” he muttered hesitantly and glanced away.

You smile and press a quick kiss to his mandible before you turn toward the CORE, raising your hand in farewell. “Just trust me, piece.” You won’t lose me again.


End file.
